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Conference presentations are now online. To view the presentations we have available please click here or refer to the presentations tab above.

National Rural Health Conference 2016

The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network and the 2016 conference organising committee wish to thank all those who took part in, and contributed to, a hugely successful national rural health conference in Dunedin from March 30 to April 3.

In what was the best attended conference to date, 530 delegates overall registered for the event, and there were 49 exhibitors on site. A big thank you must go to all exhibitors and sponsors and especially to Medtech, the conference's major sponsorship partner. Thanks also to the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) and Sanofi for their sponsorship and other support for the conference.

Huge thanks to the wonderful keynote and concurrent sessions presenters throughout the conference. Many keynote sessions were at, or close to capacity – with 400 in attendance – and concurrent sessions had on average between 30 and 40 people attending.

During the next days and weeks, links to keynote and concurrent session presentations will be posted on this website along with links to interviews of keynote and other speakers filmed during the conference by Mark Eager and the Mobile Health team.

Photos from the various social events including the welcome function, awards night, gala dinner and wine and art auction, as well as the Pat Farry Trust Fun Run and Walk will also be available to view via this website in the coming weeks.

More than 160 people attended the gala dinner held at the Otago Settlers Museum, and the wine and art auction at the dinner raised $22,000 for the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust.

Awards

The 2016 Peter Snow Memorial Award went to Dr Ivan and Mrs Leonie Howie from Aotea Health Limited on Great Barrier Island.

Read more (press release).

The HPA and NZRGPN Leadership in Health Promotion in rural award went to the Kokiri Community Trust from Taumarunui. Several nurses were recognised for their services to rural health including Gemma Hutton, Sharon Sandilands, Theresa Ngamoki, Hine Loughlin and Pareake O'Brien. The RHAANZ/NZ Doctor/NZRGPN practice of the year award, as nominated by the public, went to the team at Martinborough Health Services in the Wairarapa.

Board confirmed

Network members will receive information about the AGM held at conference and from the Members' Sunday breakfast forum in separate communiques during the next weeks.